Michigan's Jim Harbaugh accepts Big Ten's 3-game suspension - ESPN

Michigan and coach Jim Harbaugh have agreed to the Big Ten's three-game suspension of the Wolverines coach, the school announced Thursday, which means Harbaugh will not coach Saturday at Maryland or in the regular-season finale against rival Ohio State.

According to the statement, the Big Ten agreed to close its investigation, which means there won't be a hearing Friday morning as was planned at the Washtenaw County Courthouse. The case has been formally dismissed in Washtenaw County Court.

«This morning, the University, Coach Harbaugh, and the Big Ten resolved their pending litigation,» the university's statement read. «The Conference agreed to close its investigation, and the University and Coach Harbaugh agreed to accept the three-game suspension. Coach Harbaugh, with the University's support, decided to accept this sanction to return the focus to our student-athletes and their performance on the field. The Conference has confirmed that it is not aware of any information suggesting Coach Harbaugh's involvement in the allegations. The University continues to cooperate fully with the NCAA's investigation.»

The Big Ten also released a statement Thursday saying that Michigan withdrew its «legal challenge.» Attorneys representing Michigan and Harbaugh had initially filed a motion asking for an emergency temporary restraining order along with a breach of contract complaint. The hearing Friday morning was scheduled so Michigan attorneys could try to argue before a judge their reasons to have Harbaugh reinstated. The Big Ten statement said the «commissioner's duty to protect the integrity of competition will never waiver.»

«Today's decision by the University of Michigan to withdraw its legal challenge against the Conference's